Pacific Palisades is an insulated, unique community, but one which is not immune to big-city problems. ‘We love the Palisades. The bad news is a lot of people here live like ostriches: they see horrible things in the news, but think ‘that can’t happen here,” said Max Impact self-defense instructor James Gavsie at a women’s self-defense workshop here January 31. ‘Things do happen here. We live in that kind of society.’ Along with the other women in the class, I learned not only physical but mental ‘self-protection’ from instructors Gavsie and Fred Cerrato, who both have a background in martial arts and now teach their classes at Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Center in the 881 Alma Real building. In addition to practicing punches to the face, getting out of a wrist grab and escaping a body hug, the women learned about different thinking processes in everyday situations. For example, although the conventional safety advice is to avoid using cell phones while driving, Gavsie also warned against using them while walking down the street, as it makes callers distracted and not as aware of what’s going on around them. ‘Cell phones are one of the biggest distractions,’ said Gavsie, who believes that ‘realistic self-defense’ incorporates learning how to be attentive and not be an easy victim. The instructors also warn women to use their senses at all times, noting that some criminals use two-on-one distractions, with one person distracting the victim while the other commits the crime. Listening to our instincts and expanding our sense of awareness was also emphasized. ‘If you don’t feel comfortable with someone in an elevator, don’t get inside,’ Gavsie said. ‘An elevator is a soundproof steel chamber.’ He also warned about being aware of a place where an attacker could hide when walking into a parking garage or entering your car. The class combined physical combat with suggestions about how to deal with certain situations’mostly reminders to keep our eyes open. Gavsie, 250 lbs. and 6’3′, said to the women in the class, ‘Everyone here is capable of doing physical damage to me.’ Long-time martial arts instructors, Gavsie and Cerrato have been teaching out of Gerry Blanck’s Center since December and, prior to that, taught the Max Impact Self-Defense classes in Atlanta. ‘I hardly ever get into a physical confrontation, but I use mental martial arts every day,’ Gavsie explained. The teachers had us pair up and practice out the moves with one another. To work on our mentality, Gavsie had each of us think of five motivating reasons why we would fight back. The focus of the class was avoiding any kind of attack, but in case it’s unavoidable, the teachers cited reports that a victim who fights back is better off than one who doesn’t. ‘If an attacker says ‘Come with me and I won’t hurt you,’ don’t believe him,’ Gavsie warned. We paired up and practiced our one-two punch, aiming for the face or nose. The instructors came around and urged us to put our full weight into it, stopping just short of the nose of our partner. They also assured us that adrenaline would add to our power when needed. To get away from an attacker grabbing us by the wrist, we practiced with a partner, jerking our forearm towards our opposite shoulder to break the connection of the attacker’s grip. The exercises mostly focused on putting our full body weight behind the movements to be more effective. As for using a groin attack, the instructors say to use your shin to kick someone in the groin, and don’t count on it as your only line of defense. Each woman had a different reason for wanting to come to the class. For Amy Fee, it was confidence. ‘I live in Santa Monica, I like to park on the street and there’s no street lighting,’ she said. Palisades travel writer and marketing expert Beverley Auerbach wanted to learn some safety skills to use during her frequent travels. The seminar was valuable for Palisadian Sharon Shaw, whose husband, a Max Impact martial arts student, suggested it to her. ‘The mental part of their course was information we know but don’t think about’awareness,’ she said later. ‘I already shared with friends and family and I feel good about showing them a few important moves and awarenesses that they can now use to protect themselves.’ The instructors’ four survival rules, all of which apply to men as well as women, are: 1. React immediately. Don’t let someone follow you somewhere; go immediately to a fire station, public place, etc. 2. Resist, do not comply (except for giving money and car keys or possessions). 3. Don’t go to ‘crime scene number two,’ which could be an adjacent room at a party, in his car, or anywhere someone wants to take you. 4. Never give up. They also discourage weapon use without extensive training, because weapons can be used by the attacker against the victim. For a stalker’someone who calls several times a day, doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and doesn’t care about your feelings’the instructors advocated a direct approach: address the stalker immediately and in no uncertain terms. ‘Shut them down right away’tell them you have no desire to be with them,’ Gavsie said. For example, if someone is harassing you in a store or market, be very direct and say something like: ‘You’re bothering me, I’m about to call security.’ In general, an effective verbal response to any kind of harassment is saying ‘back off’ in a strong voice. For break-ins’call 911 and get out of the house if you can. Two other tips for this situation: keep your cell phone close by at night, in case a thief cuts off the phone line, and practice a family escape drill, just like a fire drill. Max Impact offers ongoing kickboxing, martial arts and self-defense classes at Gerry Blanck’s Center. Contact: 456-0233 or go to www.themaximpact.com.

Sarah Elizabeth Rogers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hamilton Rogers III of Houston, and Robert Dunlap Hillman Jr., son of Mr. Robert Hillman of La Jolla and Ms. Barbara Bidwell Hillman of Pacific Palisades, were married by Reverend Erika O. Gara on January 3. The wedding took place at Estrella, a hotel and spa in Palm Springs. The bride, 31, is keeping her name. She is an MFA student in fiction writing at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She also has an MBA from Stanford and graduated cum laude from Princeton with a degree in philosophy. She worked in New York and San Francisco for Goldman Sachs before business school, and at a technology startup and at a consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay Area afterward. The bridegroom, 33, is currently an MBA student at the University of Iowa. He graduated from St. Matthew’s School and Harvard High School. He played volleyball on Palisades Club teams at the Junior Olympics and starred in volleyball in high school and at Stanford. Until this fall, he was a full-time singer-songwriter who lived in New York for eight years and who was part of the Songwriters’ Exchange, a weekly meeting started by Jack Hardy. Bob toured extensively as the opening act for Suzanne Vega and others, and put out two albums produced by Tommy West, Jim Croce’s producer. He has a BA in English and an MA in organizational behavior from Stanford. The couple met at a wedding in Santa Barbara on New Year’s Eve 2000/2001, when they were seated next to one another at dinner by the matchmaking bride. Bob lived in Brooklyn at the time but moved to San Francisco that summer (and then, quite sportingly, to Iowa City). Bob’s mother, Ms. Hillman, is a 30-year Palisades resident. She is currently an independent management consultant and a retired adjunct professor of Organizational Theory at Pepperdine University.

The Pacific Palisades Historical Society is planning a bus tour on Sunday, March 14 for members and other interested Palisadians to see a famous wisteria vine planted in 1871 and browse Sierra Madre’s arts and crafts fair. Sierra Madre is a quiet town at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, planned originally as a utopian community by Nathaniel Carter on land purchased in 1881 from Lucky Baldwin. Famous for its tree-lined streets and homes ranging in style from Victorian and Craftsman to California bungalow, Sierra Madre is a town distinct from all others in Southern California. It is well-known as a haven for artists, poets and creative people. Streets and homes are shaded by native oaks, sycamores and other trees. The most famous living thing in town is the more than century-old wisteria vine, listed as the world’s largest blossoming plant in the 1993 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. This plant now covers nearly an acre of private property between two homes at the northern edge of town. The bus will leave from Los Liones and Tramonto Drive at 11:30 a.m. sharp and will return before 5:30 p.m. The cost of $15 includes the bus trip, driver tip and ticket to the festival. It does not include lunch; a brown bag lunch or snack at the festival is recommended. To register, send a check to Pacific Palisades Historical Society, Box 1299, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 before March 9. Contact: 454-2101 or 454-8468.

Simon Cowell was nowhere in sight when Palisades High School named its very own Pali Idol Friday night. In fact, all the judges had nothing but positive comments to say to the talented group of singers in the ‘American Idol’-style competition. Palisades High School sophomore Annie Tippe won the title of Pali Idol 2004 singing a soulful, bluesy rendition of ‘Proud Mary’ accompanied by her father Ron on guitar. Annie was the evening’s winner, but all 11 finalists got their star turn in the second annual contest’ belting out songs in a variety of genres in front of a panel of four entertainment industry judges and an audience of over 250 people at Mercer Hall. As each finalist performed, the judges’ vote counted for 75 percent of the score and the audience vote counted for 25 percent. Along with Tippe, seniors Treasure Davis, who sang a soulful ‘A Voice Within,’ and Kiyanna Epps, who sang a jazz/blues ballad, ‘I’m Going Down,’ moved on to the second round. The judges made comments, but only the audience’s votes counted in the second round. ‘I wanted to tell the other two girls Treasure and Kiyanna, I would have loved to share the title with them,’ Tippe said. ‘I think they both have careers in music, they were both my idols that night.’ The event was organized by the PaliHi Leadership class, whose teacher, Chris Lee, started the event last year based on the popular TV show ‘American Idol.’ A music lover, Lee felt that in addition to the theater department’s musical, students should have a chance to show their vocal skills. ‘I thought it would be nice to have a talent show, to give kids who just want to sing the opportunity.’ Just like ‘American Idol’s’ contestants, who all have gone on tour together, the 11 finalists will perform together at PaliHi’s Casino Night on March 12. Tippe took the title and $200 cash, while runners-up Davis and Epps each won $50, and each of the other finalists, Ari Coco, Charmagne Land, Charles Hinshaw, Jasmine Daghighian, Gilli Messer, Justin Jones, Taylor Fisher and Kiera Wells, received a $20 gift certificate to Blockbuster. Tippe, a Brentwood resident, already knows what she’s spending her winnings on: some in savings and the rest towards a record player and ‘an Amoeba Records shopping spree’ for old jazz albums. ‘I’ve been listening to a lot of records lately, and I like the scratchy, rugged quality. CDs are more processed,’ said Tippe, who hopes to have a career as a record producer and whose dream is to sing in small jazz clubs. The competition started two weeks ago with over 70 contestants, who each sang a 30-second tidbit from any song they wanted. From these, three teacher judges selected the top 20 who were winnowed down based on their talent, ability, presence and personality. The judges were Diane Feldman Turen, the founder of Children’s Civic Light Opera and a director and producer for that company; Mareo, a singer, songwriter, actor and clothing designer, who also teaches hip hop and jazz dance at Fancy Feet Dance Studio and toured as a backup vocalist with the former ‘American Idol’ Kelly Clarkson; Phil Margaziotis, a PaliHi graduate, music producer and engineer; and Barbara Passolt, a singer and musical theater actress. The judges were impressed with the students’ comfort on the stage and passion for the music. ‘The judges were all really positive,’ said Tippe. ‘I thought the contest was so much better than the TV show [known for the judge’s harsh comments].’ The music ran the gamut from oldies to R&B to country. Some sang a capella, others had friends play instruments or used karaoke soundtracks. Many were accompanied, quietly from backstage by their fellow contestants who sang along. Leadership’s Lee and senior Amy Gumenick were the co-emcees. ‘My favorite part was how supportive the contestants were of one another,’ said Lee. ‘They were so proud of one another and had an utter joy in the music.’ (Additional Reporting by Courtney Schmitt)